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No, JonTron Getting Dropped From a Game Is NOT Bigotry

So, SidAlpha, a game reviewer on Youtube I followed because I liked some of his reviews and because he was hit with DMCA takedowns unfairly like Jim Sterling was, made this video after JonTron was dropped from a game by Playtonic.

And my immediate response was… unsubscribe. Makes me wonder what kinda comments I’m going to get to the comment I left, if it’s going to be as toxic as any other Gamergater loving youtuber out there who thinks people calling them bigoted are the REAL bigots…

But I digress… and once again, from the top:

Once again, for the people in the back, freedom of speech does not mean freedom from the consequences. That’s why you can’t shout FIRE in a crowded theatre.

What’s ultimately frustrating about this and guys like SidAlpha is that they still somehow believe that the views of bigots, racists, and assholes like JonTron are as important as everyone else’s and that said views should be protected, and that to denounce such views is somehow an attack on freedom of expression.

No, unequivocally NO.

Right now, with Trump in office, fascists, bigots, racists, and sexist assholes feel emboldened to come out and harass, attack, and kill people they don’t like. They’ve been feeling emboldened since Trump started to run for office. There’s been a rise in fascism in Europe that they’re struggling with.

And before anyone says “Don’t bring politics into this!” too late. Politics have been apart of this from the beginning, The political IS the personal and vice versa, there’s no nice neat clean way to separate the two.

Anytime someone comes out and says something ignorant about a whole group of people, they SHOULD be shouted down. Hell, people like Richard Spencer SHOULD be punched in the face because they’re nazis, and the only thing nazis are good at is receiving punches to the face.

So to let anyone slide on by without consequence is tacit acceptance of their views. That’s what Playtonic did not want, and however they may be suffering from the bigoted views of their contributors, they did the right thing. I don’t want to partake in media where pricks like JonTron are, essentially, rewarded for their harmful views.

I don’t watch the new X-Men films because Michael Fassbender is a domestic abuser. Same with Harry Potter and Johnny Depp. Adam Baldwin? Hell, he’s a racist piece of garbage who named the Gamergate movement, which is comprised of some of the worst dregs of the Internet combined with a bunch of angry white gamers pissed off that women like games is a thing.

I’m not going to support such people or the companies that want to partner themselves with them. They don’t deserve my money. I might not get it right all the time, but I’m going to do my best.

Because yes, this might just be about games, but guess what? Every decision is a statement, and I’d rather my statement be “Hey, I don’t like bigoted pricks” instead of “Eh, he’s fine with it so long as he gets to play games.”

Because a whole lot of people thought that, and voted Trump, and look at what they’re getting now.

Also, in hindsight, SidAlpha pretty much lost me the moment he brought in a screencap of someone claiming to be black calling Playtonic the REAL bigot. Because it’s not like Gamergaters did the same thing to make themselves seem less racist and sexist.. and it’s pretty damn close to the “I’m not racist, look at all my black friends!” Not to mention the complete and utter misunderstanding of what bigotry means.